Client Lead Follow-Up Guide

1. Introduction

This document provides best practices for following up with warm leads to ensure timely/effective responses and increased conversion rates. Ultimately, the goal is to maximize your conversion rates and the return on your investment.

If you’re not subscribed to our appointment setting service, you are responsible for promptly responding to forwarded warm leads, following the outlined follow-up strategies, and utilizing the provided templates to optimize your engagement/outcomes with prospects.

2. Lead Classification and Understanding

Types of Warm Leads

• Information Requests: Leads asking for more details about your product/service.
  
   
• Call to Action (CTA) Requests: Leads requesting specific materials like an info PDF, case study, video, slide deck, etc.
  
   
• Clarification of Offer/Pricing: Leads needing clarification on pricing, features, or benefits.
  
   
• Meeting Requests: Leads directly requesting a call or meeting.

3. General Follow-Up Strategy

Overall Follow-Up Cadence

Implementing a structured follow-up cadence is crucial for maximizing lead engagement and conversion. We recommend maintaining 8-14 touchpoints over a 30-day period to maximize conversion potential.

Key Points:

• Increased Engagement: More touch points provide multiple opportunities to connect with the lead.
• Multi-Channel Approach: Utilizing a combination of email, phone calls, LinkedIn, and text messages will maximize response rates.
• Higher Conversion Rates: Persistent follow-up can significantly improve the chances of converting leads into customers.

Touchpoints Breakdown

Email: Reply to the ongoing email thread or create a new one.

• Video guide for initially replying in the same thread: Email Reply Guide.mp4
• There’s a risk of ending up in spam if you create a new email thread. Replying to the original thread ensures better deliverability as Google usually won’t send replies to spam.

Phone Call: Use the phone number (preferably cell phone) in the prospect's email signature to contact them directly.

• If the prospect does not have a phone number in their signature, utilize an enrichment tool to find their mobile number (see enrichment guide in section #7).

Text (if applicable): As an alternative channel if the client is unresponsive over the phone or email.

• Typically we recommend sending a text every time you leave a voicemail.

LinkedIn (if applicable): As an alternative channel if the client is unresponsive over the phone or email.

• Adding a prospect on LinkedIn may help keep them engaged with your business.

4. Timing and Frequency of Communication

Initial Contact

Following up immediately is crucial with cold outreach, as the lead’s interest level will continue to decline over time. The lead should be contacted within 1-2 hours of receiving their response, and no later than 24 hours.

Follow-Ups

The follow-up cadence should be adjusted to the lead’s responsiveness, interest level, and specific requests (e.g. “Please follow up with me in two months”). A high interest level (e.g. asking to meet, or expressing direct interest in the product/service) will call for a more timely follow-up approach. If a lead becomes unresponsive, continue to follow up unless the lead provides a clear indication of disinterest.

Each follow-up may include multiple touchpoints.

General Follow-Up Cadence

First 30 Days:

• Initial Contact: Immediately upon receiving an email reply.
• First Follow-Up: 2-3 days after initial contact.
• Second Follow-Up: 2-4 days after the first follow-up.
• Third Follow-Up: 3-5 days after the second follow-up.
• Fourth Follow-Up: 7-10 days after the third follow-up.
• Fifth Follow-Up: 7-10 days after the fourth follow-up.

After 30 Days:

• Ongoing Follow-Up: Continue to follow up every 21-28 days.

5. Best Practices for Each Follow-Up Channel

Phone Calls

• Prioritize calls over other contact methods for high-interest leads.
• Calls are best made immediately after a prospect expresses interest. Prospects who reply to emails are usually sitting in their office and thinking about your product, this is the prime time for them to answer a call and be prepared to discuss your offering.
• If cold calling a prospect, do not try to sell or close the client on the spot. Build rapport and gauge what additional info is most applicable for the client, then set up a dedicated time to talk (virtual meeting or phone call).
• If no answer, leave a voicemail and follow up with a text.
• A good suggestion, if possible, is to utilize multiple phone numbers if they continuously don’t answer your primary one.

Email Follow-Up

• Keep emails short and to the point. Don’t try to sell the lead over email, but rather use it as a means to generate/gauge interest. Selling and objection handling is more effective over a call or meeting.
• Do not be overly wordy/polite by avoiding unnecessary formalities. (e.g. “How have things been!”, “I hope you’re doing well!”, “I can’t wait to hear from you”, etc.)
• Use compelling/accurate subject lines if not following up in the same thread.
• Clearly outline the next steps. (e.g. offering potential times to meet/call, ask if they have any questions/feedback, mention that you’re checking in)
• Offer the prospect suggestions on when to meet (eg. how does next week at 1 pm or 2 pm on Wednesday/Thursday work for you?).

Text Messages

• Keep texts short, semi-casual, and non-intrusive. Divert to a call/meeting and avoid having lengthy conversations (unless appropriate).
• Use it to acknowledge a missed phone call.
• Texts should almost always be sent after an unanswered call.

LinkedIn Follow-Up

• LinkedIn is a social media platform meant for networking, not selling.
• Connect with people on LinkedIn as soon as possible in order to create a relationship as well as a new line of communication.
• Make your messages conversational, don’t try to sell them over a message. It should almost be as if you are having a conversation in person.

6. Reminder/Confirmation Process

Meeting Reminder Process

• Call the day before/day of the meeting, if it’s a Monday.
• Send an email + text reminder if they don’t answer.
• If by the end of the day, you haven’t heard from them on either medium, call them again.
• Call them the next day before the demonstration if you still haven’t gotten a hold of them.

No-Show Process:

• Follow the normal follow-up sequence to get them rescheduled.

7. Lead Enrichment

Enrich Prospect's Mobile Numbers Using Apollo.io's Free Trial

If you already have the prospect's name and email, you can easily leverage Apollo.io's free trial to enrich their mobile numbers.

1. Sign Up for Apollo.io Free Trial

• Create an account on Apollo.io to access their database and search features.

2. Search for Prospect

• Use the prospect’s name and email in the search bar to quickly find their profile.
• Apply filters like job title and company to narrow results.

3. Access Mobile Number

• Once their profile appears, check the contact info section for the listed phone number, often including their mobile number.

4. Export or Use Directly

• Export the contact info to your CRM or use Apollo’s built-in tools to engage with the prospect.

Apollo is cheap and easy to use, that’s why we recommend it. However, if you finish the free trial and still don’t want to pay money to enrich the prospect, there are many other lead enrichment tools you can utilize. Simply juggle free trials and you should have endless access to mobile numbers.

8. Lead Management

Lead Management System Overview:

Managing leads effectively is crucial to turning prospects into customers. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool helps businesses streamline their lead tracking, improve follow-ups, and analyze which engagement strategies work best. Here’s why a CRM is important for lead management:

1. Centralized Lead Tracking

A CRM centralizes all lead-related data in one platform, including contact information, interactions, and follow-up history. This prevents missed opportunities and ensures that all leads are properly tracked and managed throughout the sales process.

2. Improved Follow-up and Engagement

By using a CRM, businesses can monitor all communications with leads, ensuring timely follow-ups and effective engagement. Tracking which methods (e.g., email vs. phone) and times yield the best responses helps optimize future efforts and outreach strategies.

3. Data-Driven Decisions

CRMs provide key insights into lead management performance, such as conversion rates, response times, and follow-up frequency. This allows businesses to continuously refine their strategies based on real data, improving the efficiency of their lead management process.

4. Improved Team Collaboration

With a CRM, everyone on the team has real-time visibility into lead progress. This reduces the chance of duplicating efforts and ensures a unified approach to managing the sales pipeline.

5. Automation and Efficiency

CRMs offer automation tools for scheduling follow-ups, sending reminders, and managing repetitive tasks. This allows sales teams to focus on engaging with leads rather than spending time on administrative tasks.

Best CRMs for Lead Management:

1. Close.io
   • Designed for inside sales teams, Close.io features built-in calling, SMS, and email tracking, making it a great choice for businesses that rely heavily on communication with leads.
   • The platform is optimized for high-volume lead engagement, offering a streamlined and intuitive interface to manage follow-up activities effectively.
     
      
2. GoHighLevel
   • GoHighLevel is an all-in-one CRM tailored for marketing agencies and small businesses, combining lead management, automation, and funnel-building tools in one platform.
   • Its integration of features like SMS, email marketing, and sales pipelines makes it ideal for businesses looking to automate lead engagement and improve follow-up processes.
     
      
3. HubSpot CRM (Free & Paid)
   • HubSpot CRM offers a range of free features that are perfect for small businesses, with scalable paid options for larger teams.
   • It’s great for tracking leads, automating follow-ups, and using reporting tools to analyze the effectiveness of outreach.

Reply Templates

Email

Info Request

“Hi [Name],

Thanks for getting back to me. I’ve {attached some info/pasted some details below/attached video/included video} for you to look over. 

Can you jump on a brief call at 1 pm or 2 pm on Wednesday/Thursday to discuss further?

Jim”

Call Request

“Hi [Name],

Thanks for getting back to me. Does 1PM or 3PM work for you on either Tuesday or Thursday? 

I’ll shoot you a quick call the day before our meeting to make sure that time still works.

Jim”

Future Interest

“Hi [Name],

That absolutely makes sense. I’ll send some documents over for you to look over when you can.

I’ll send a check-in email in X months to see how you’re doing and if there’s anything else of value that I can provide.

Until then, all the best.

Jim”

Follow Up #1

“Hi [Name],

Just sending a quick follow up email to our conversation earlier this week. Any thoughts or questions on the [PDF/info email/demo video/pricing sheet, etc.]?

I’m sure you’re busy, so I want to make sure I’ve provided all the relevant resources from the get-go.

I’m happy to jump on a 15-minute call later this week to provide quick clarifications or address questions/concerns.

Jim”

Follow Up #2

“Hi [Name],

I’m checking in to see where you’re at since our last exchange. An email with a couple words will do. I hate to be annoying, but I’d be even more upset to know I left somebody hanging without knowing where they’re at or what I can do to help.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Jim”

Phone Call

Info Request

“Hi [Name],

I’m reaching out on behalf of [Client Name] from [Client Company] regarding your recent email asking for more details about [Company]. I wanted to reach out to see if there was any specific information that would be most useful to you. 

I also wanted to see if [QUALIFICATION QUESTIONS].

I would be happy to arrange a call with [Client Name] to provide further information and address any questions you may have. Would Tuesday at 1 PM work for you?”

Call Request

“Hi [Name],

I’m reaching out on behalf of [Client Name] from [Client Company] regarding your request for more information about (Company). I’d be happy to set up a call with [Client Name] to go over the details and answer any questions you might have. Would Tuesday at 1 PM be a convenient time for you?”

Text

Missed Call

Hi [Name],

Its [Name] from [company]. I just tried reaching out to discuss the email you sent back regarding more information on [company]. When you have a chance, feel free to give me a call back or let me know a better time to reach you. Looking forward to chatting!

After Follow Up Email #2

Hi [Name],

Its [client name] from [company]. I wanted to check in to see if you’ve had a chance to review my previous emails with additional information about [Company]. I’d be happy to set up a quick 15-minute call to go over the [PDF/info email/demo video/pricing sheet, etc.] I sent. Do you have some availability in the next few days to chat?